


coming home

by fangirlingtodeath513



Series: Season 14 Codas [2]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Episode: s14e02 Coda, Episode: s14e02 Gods and Monsters, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Post-Episode: s14e02 Coda, Post-Episode: s14e02 Gods and Monsters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-23
Updated: 2018-10-23
Packaged: 2019-08-06 04:17:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,420
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16381229
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fangirlingtodeath513/pseuds/fangirlingtodeath513
Summary: Michael's had him long enough. It's time that Dean came home.





	coming home

**Author's Note:**

> wooooo, I love this coda so much, I hope you all enjoy it!

He’s dying. Every molecule in his body is burning, and his vision is restricted to a blindingly bright white light. All he can see and feel is _pain_. He always knew he’d go out on the job, but he sure as hell hadn’t imagined it being this painful. It makes being ripped apart by hellhounds feel like a stroll through the park.

 

The feeling goes just as fast as it came, and Dean finds himself standing in front of a set of ornate wooden doors. He takes a deep breath, patting his chest. No wounds, and he doesn’t have any trouble breathing… either he’s alive and unharmed, or he’s back in Hell. The doors _do_ look like something Crowley would have gravitated toward.

 

Only one way to find out.

 

With a shaky hand and wobbly legs, he steps forward and pushes the doors open. An overwhelming wave of dizziness settles over him, so he stays rooted to the spot for a moment before stepping into the room and reaching for a nearby pillar to balance himself. To his surprise, he finds Sam, Mary and Bobby on the other side of the door. Not dead, then. He frowns slightly, pulling Michael’s stupid hat off his head and tossing it on the floor.

 

“Sammy? It’s me.” He takes a breath, leaning his head against the pillar as he closes his eyes for a moment. It takes a second to regain his senses, but he can feel everyone’s eyes on him.

 

Sam’s the first to move. His hand settles just below Dean’s elbow, steadying him. Dean shoots a grateful look in his direction before slowly sinking to the floor.

 

“Dean… is it really you?”

 

“Yeah, it’s really me.” he mutters, eyes drifting down to focus on the floor.

 

“Are you okay?”

 

He scoffs, shaking his head. “No, I’m not okay.” He sees a hint of a smile on Mary’s face, but he doesn’t have nearly enough brain power left to think about that any further.

 

“But… you got Michael to leave.” When Dean finally meets his gaze, there’s nothing but unbridled hope in Sam’s eyes. He hates to shatter it, but he doesn’t really have a choice.

 

“No, I-I-I don’t… I didn’t.”

 

Bobby frowns, his eyes narrowing as Dean shifts his gaze to the older man. “What?”

 

“He just-he just left.”

 

Sam copies Bobby’s frown, his head tilting to the side minisculely. “Why?”

 

“I don’t know.” He pauses, feeling the panic well up inside him as he meets Sam’s gaze again. “I don’t know. I felt like I was being ripped apart one minute, and the next I’m standing outside that door and he’s gone.”

 

Sam exchanges a glance with Mary and Bobby, one that Dean can’t read. He sighs, shifting and dropping his head into his hands. Sam’s hand comes to rest on his back a moment later, and shortly after that Sam and Bobby help him to his feet.

 

“Alright, let’s get you home.” Sam say gently, turning to collect his bag from the ground. Dean sees him hesitate for a moment before pulling a pair of angel cuffs from his bag. Sam doesn’t even get a word out before Dean’s leaning against the pillar and holding his wrists out.

 

“I’m sorry.” Sam murmurs as he closes the cuffs around Dean’s wrists. Dean just shakes his head, the corner of his mouth tilting up as Sam meets his gaze.

 

“Don’t be. You know it’s the smart thing to do.” Sam nods his agreement, and a few minutes later the four of them are trudging across the overgrown parking lot to the Impala.

 

“I’d offer to let you drive, but…” Sam trails off, motioning to the handcuffs. Dean shakes his head again, sliding into the back seat.

 

“Don’t worry about it. Can we… can we stop and get food? I’m starving.”

 

Sam gapes at him, nodding his head quickly. “God, of course, you haven’t eaten in like, a month. Yeah, there was a rest stop not too far from here, McDonald’s should still be open.”

 

Dean nods, a weak smile flitting over his lips as Mary joins him in the back seat.

 

“I’m glad you’re okay.” Mary whispers, reaching over and squeezing his forearm gently.

 

“Me too.” Dean mumbles in reply, turning to look out the window as they get on the road.

 

*

 

Dean sleeps most of the way back to Lebanon. It’s nearly eleven hours back, and Michael’s possession is taking more of a toll on him than he’d anticipated. Once he’d eaten, it had only taken mere minutes for him to fall asleep.

 

Mercifully, he escapes the nightmares for now. He knows he’ll get them, but he’s ridiculously grateful he didn’t while in the car with his mother, brother, and carbon-copy surrogate father.

 

They’re about half an hour from the bunker when Sam finally speaks up, “So, uh, you should know--Nick’s alive.”

 

Dean narrows his eyes, racking his brain for a moment. Nick… why does that name sound familiar… Realization finally dawns on him and he whips his head around to meet Sam’s gaze in the rearview mirror. “ _What_? How?”

 

“Our best guess is that the archangel blade was made to kill the archangel, not the vessel. So as long as the wound isn’t fatal, the vessel lives.” Mary pipes up, resting a reassuring hand on Dean’s knee. “He’s been doing well. The wound’s healing, and he seems to be adjusting okay.”

 

Dean frowns, turning to look back out the window. He can’t help but feel the unintentional pressure put onto him by this revelation. If Nick’s okay after a decade of possession by Lucifer, he’d be less than pathetic to lose it over only a few weeks as Michael’s vessel.

 

“Anything else I should know?” he mumbles, eyes unfocused as he watched the trees outside blur past.

 

“Uh… you know Jack’s lost his powers, and the people from Michael’s world are still at the bunker, helping us hunt… that’s about it.” Sam finishes, glancing back at him in the mirror. Dean just nods stiffly, leaning his head against the window.

 

They arrive at the bunker just as Dean starts to nod off again. He forces himself up straight, though he can feel the panic welling up inside him. Last time he was here-

 

“Dean!”

 

Dean freezes, but only momentarily. Before he even has time to think, he’s sliding out of the car and grabbing onto Cas with just as much ferocity as the angel grabs him with. “Cas…”

 

After a moment, Castiel leans back and rests his hands on Dean’s cheeks. “I can’t believe it’s really you. Are you okay? DId he harm you?”

 

Dean smiles weakly, shaking his head. Castiel squints at him, but seems to get the message that Dean doesn’t want to talk about it. Not here.

 

After hasty hellos to the remaining Apocalypse world people in the bunker, Dean slinks off to his room while Sam’s attention is diverted. He’s barely in his room for three minutes before Castiel comes in, letting the door click closed behind him.

 

“Hi.” Dean’s voice is quiet and weaker than he’d like, but at least he doesn’t have to hide his trauma around Cas. Not anymore.

 

“Hello, Dean.” Cas replies with a gentle smile, lingering near the door. Dean waves him over, sitting down on his bed. His rather rumpled bed. He turns to Cas with a raised eyebrow, but the angel just shrugs. “I missed you. Being in your room, close to your things… it made me feel better, if only for a little while.”

 

The corner of Dean’s mouth tips up in a smile as Cas settles on the bed next to him. “I missed you too, Cas.”

 

They sit in silence for a few minutes. Cas doesn’t push him to talk, which Dean is incredibly grateful for. After a little while, Dean shifts and tucks himself against Cas’s side, sighing in relief as the angel’s arm slips around his shoulders.

 

Cas presses a kiss to the top of his head, murmuring, “If you want to talk, I’m here.”

 

Dean nods his understanding, but stays quiet. He’s not quite ready to talk about it, and he wants to enjoy Cas’s company for a little while longer before digging up the trauma.

 

Of course, they don’t get that chance. Life never stops for them, they never get a reprieve. Just as Dean opens his mouth to speak, Sam barges into the room with a panicked look on his face, his eyes zeroing in on Castiel.

 

“Nick’s gone.”

**Author's Note:**

> [rebloggable link here](https://fangirlingtodeath513.tumblr.com/post/179330704654/coming-home-a-14x02-coda-read-here-on-ao3-hes)
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>  You can find me on Tumblr [here(:](https://fangirlingtodeath513.tumblr.com/)  
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> **Please don’t post my works anywhere without my express written permission.**


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